The Orioles are set to be heavily represented at this year’s All-Star Game in Texas after six of their players were named finalists for a place on the roster during a presentation on MLB Network on Thursday.
Baltimore’s star-studded lineup is headlined by catcher Adley Rutschman, shortstop Gunnar Henderson and first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, who lead their position groups in voting. Lower down the ballot are outfielder Anthony Santander, designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn and third baseman Jordan Westburg.
The next stage of voting begins Sunday, and the All-Star starters will be announced Wednesday on ESPN. The full team will be unveiled July 7 on ESPN. During the second phase of voting, vote totals reset — they don’t carry over from the first phase. The winner at each group will be named a starting position player for the Midsummer Classic.
“Two-thirds of the positions on the field were All-Star finalists,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “They’re all so well deserving. Hope they get a ton of votes. Hope we send all six.”
The Orioles are among the best teams in baseball. Entering Thursday, they trailed the New York Yankees by one game for the American League East lead. That status is reflected in the quantity of All-Star finalists. The Yankees’ Aaron Judge, meanwhile, is already confirmed as a starter because he led the majors with 3,425,309 total votes.
But there are few teams who could be as well represented as the Orioles.
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“When you’ve got an offense like that, there’s bound to be a lot of guys that are going to be nominated for the All-Star Game, and I hope they all get in,” said right-hander Corbin Burnes, who will likely make it as a pitcher. “Hopefully we’ve got seven or eight of us running around there at the All-Star Game.”
There’s little doubt around the All-Star credentials for Henderson, whom Hyde said “is an MVP candidate and playing like the best player in the game right now. I mean, what he’s doing is incredible.”
Henderson’s 1.005 on-base-plus-slugging percentage is the third highest in baseball. His 26 home runs are the second most in the majors, and he has flashed his speed with 13 steals.
The 22-year-old is building on his American League Rookie of the Year award, establishing himself as a do-it-all threat. He holds a 5.9 wins above placement rating, according to FanGraphs, and his weighted runs created-plus is 182 — far above 100, which is league average for the metric. Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals is the other shortstop finalist.
Rutschman, too, was a no-doubt finalist. He made his first All-Star appearance last season and impressed in the Home Run Derby. Now, in his second full season, Rutschman is hitting .297 with an .820 OPS. He has clubbed 14 homers and driven in 53 runs. Rutschman will go head-to-head with Royals catcher Salvador Perez, whom Rutschman nearly doubled in total votes in the first phase.
Mountcastle has established himself as one of the league’s premier first basemen, and Hyde emphasized this week that Mountcastle should be an All-Star. Leading his position, that looks likely. Mountcastle is hitting .278 with a .795 OPS. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays will be Mountcastle’s positional challenger.
Further down the ballot, Westburg is amid a breakout first full season in the majors. Hyde said Westburg has been the biggest surprise to him, because he didn’t expect Westburg to post an .848 OPS so soon after debuting. But Westburg has grasped an everyday starting role at third base through his steady pole-to-pole approach that includes a .283 average and 46 RBIs. Westburg finished second in phase one to Cleveland Guardians third baseman José Ramírez.
And, while Santander’s average is lower than usual at .228, the outfielder’s 21 homers have elevated his OPS to .796. He’s a consistent power threat from both sides of the plate.
Santander has rapidly improved this month. Almost half of Santander’s 26 hits have been homers (12) and his average in June is .263. Part of that progress is an increased ability to catch up with the high fastball, a pitch he popped up frequently early in the year.
With Judge locked in as a starter, only two more American League outfielders will be named starters. Santander is fourth in outfield voting, behind Judge, the Yankees’ Juan Soto and the Guardians’ Steven Kwan.
O’Hearn’s All-Star consideration comes a little over a year after the Orioles claimed him from the Kansas City Royals. In that time. O’Hearn has developed into a regular in Baltimore, and his 10 homers and .284 average allowed him to vault into the top two at his position. Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros is O’Hearn’s competition.
“It seemed unattainable for a long time,” O’Hearn said after becoming a finalist. “Until the last year or so, I didn’t believe it could actually happen. Not there yet, but to be a finalist is an honor and something I don’t take lightly.”
